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The final two locations from Round 4 of the small-scale DAB licence roll-out have been awarded by Ofcom. Both areas, one for East Fife, and one for Berwickshire and North Roxburgh, have been awarded to Lanarkshire based C.I. Broadcasting Ltd and its subsidiary company Tower DAB Ltd. C.I. Broadcasting’s Director Spencer Pryor told Radio Today: “We’re extremely pleased that OFCOM have decided to award these licences to us to give us the opportunity to increase DAB coverage in two very underserved areas."

Ofcom will announce which areas will form part of Round 6 in the small-scale DAB licensing process this autumn following feedback from potential applicants. After a recent call for expressions of interest, input from stakeholders was received in 65 locations. Ofcom also received requests from stakeholders to re-advertise four areas for which no applications were submitted when originally advertised. Requests for new small-scale DAB areas for the Scottish Highlands and for the Orkney Islands were also received, along with a small number of other requests to add areas to the small-scale DAB advertising programme.

There are 34 applications for Round 5 of Ofcom’s small-scale DAB radio multiplex licence process, plus three for re-advertised areas. Of the total 37 areas, only six received more than one application. They are West London, South West Sussex, South London, South Hertfordshire, North London and North East London/South West Essex. From the six with multiple, there are three applications for South London and three for North London, whilst the others have two each.

Ofcom has published several updates on its work to support the launch of a wider range of ultra-local digital radio stations across the UK. So far, Ofcom has made 86 licence awards. From Edinburgh to Exeter, some 30 multiplexes are now on the air, between them transmitting 213 different stations, the majority of which are new to broadcast radio. Ofcom's fifth round of small-scale DAB licensing covers the South East of England. It received 34 applications for the 32 small-scale DAB radio multiplex licence areas, which were advertised in March. All applications will now be assessed against the specific statutory criteria, and it expects to announce the successful applicants next year.

WorldDAB has commissioned an independent report on the development and implementation of small-scale DAB in markets around the world. The report, by Dr Lawrie Hallett of the University of Bedfordshire, seeks to document for the first time the global development of this innovative approach to DAB transmission, and to analyse the different current implementations, including technical, financial and regulatory models. It may also offer for consideration possible next steps to support its continued growth. The project framework document is designed to set out the initial approach to the topics to be covered by the report, and a timeline for delivery.

Frontier has launched FS2260 Magic X, a next generation SmartRadio (sometimes called hybrid radio) module combining state of the art module design, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, with market-leading Frontier DAB/DAB+ technology offering a comprehensive user-listening experience. Magic X offers internet radio, podcast, DAB+, FM, Bluetooth, and iOS/Android app control, amongst other features. The module is suitable for a range of audio applications including table top radios, clock radios, micro-systems, portables, and wireless speakers.

Digital terrestrial radio (DAB+) continues to roll out across France. After Clermont-Ferrand, listeners in Angers can now tune in to digital terrestrial radio and rediscover Forum, the 'collector radio' that broadcasts listeners' favourite hits from the 90s and 2000s... "DAB+ makes listening to the radio simpler and better. As with FM, reception of DAB+ radio is completely free," explains Groupe 1981.

On 13 July, the Council for Electronic Media passed a Decision based on the 'Notice of Intention to Grant Concession No. 05/23 for the provision of digital radio media services - DAB+'. Radio Slavonija from Slavonski Brod was chosen as one of the two most favorable bidders in this round - a regional media with a 25-year tradition, which with this licence became a leader in this part of Croatia, but also far beyond - at least when it comes to all local radio stations in the territory of the Croatian Republic.

Swiss Federal Councillor Albert Rösti will propose to the full Federal Council a "final" extension of the current FM broadcasting licences until the end of 2026. On 13 July, the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) informed the radio associations of this proposal, pointing out that some broadcasters had experienced local and regional problems in recent months that required individual solutions. "OFCOM is currently examining the possibility of extending FM radio licences until 2026 and will prepare an amendment to the corresponding legislation for this purpose", explained OFCOM spokesman Francis Meier. The Federal Council will probably decide by the end of 2023 whether it wishes to approve this extension, he added.

According to ma 2023 Audio II, 52 million people use radio services daily (Mon.-Fri.). In the most recent study published by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Media-Analyse (agma), DAB+ radio has maintained steady growth: DAB+ is listened to by 28.6 per cent (ma 2023 Audio I: 28.5 per cent) in the segment of the widest listener group (WHK) and is especially used in the target group of 30- to 59-year-olds (WHK: 33.6 per cent - ma 2023 Audio I: 32.0 per cent). According to the study, it is particularly the radio stations broadcast nationally via DAB+ that are recording significant increases in listener numbers.